Tackle Combustible Dust Risks Right
Following a roadmap may help you assess your hazards and develop a mitigation strategy
By Karen Wear, Donaldson Company
Jun 13, 2017

Whether you’re a chemical engineer designing production equipment or one supervising operations and maintenance, you need to be aware of combustible dust risks. Increasing fines and incidents, such as the deadly 2013 explosion at the West Fertilizer Company site near Waco, Texas, are impacting the chemical industry.

This article provides a roadmap for evaluating your dust and process hazards, and suggests steps to plan a suitable mitigation strategy for your unique risk profile.

The Regulatory Landscape
Chemical processors must balance product output with the responsibility to address risks posed by dust-producing materials and processes. How you address such risks impacts production and how your plant fares during inspections from a growing host of regulators. Such “authorities having jurisdic…

Musk insists, however, that safety is the number one priority at Tesla. He claims that recent actions, like the company's hiring thousands of employees to create a third shift and reduce excess overtime, have made a major impact in lowering the injury rate.

A recent email Musk sent to employees indicates just how seriously he's taking the issue. Here's part of the email, as repo…

UPDATE (WKOW) -- The
Wisconsin Department of Transportation has issued alternate routes
around the scene of an explosion in Cambria.

They say all lanes of
State Highway 146, both directions, are blocked at Cemetery Road.
Authorities say northbound traffic should take Highway 16 to US 151 to
Highway 73. Then take 73 to Highway 33 west back to 146. Southbound
traffic should reverse these directions.

UW Hospital has confirmed
with 27 News they are treating five patients from the explosion. Those
five people were airlifted to the hospital. No word on their conditions.

*****

UPDATE
(WKOW) -- Columbia County Sheriff Dennis Richards more than a dozen
people were injured and at least one person was killed in an explosion
in Cambria.

There were at least 16 employees working at the time
at Didion Milling plant. Two were able to get out safely and the others
were not. The sheri…